Peter said to him in reply,
“Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.”
He said, “Come.” (Mt 14:28-29a)
Today’s Gospel is another one of my favorites.
In it, we see the disciples in a boat being tossed about in a stormy sea. As they fear for their lives, they are presented with yet another fear: the sight of Jesus, like a ghost, walking on the water, coming toward the boat.
They cry out in fear.
Jesus tells them not to fear.
Peter says to Jesus, “If it is you, command me to come to you on the water.”
Jesus tells him, “Come.”
And Peter does.
Wow.
He is walking on the water.
Wow.
That is not possible.
Wow.
He realizes it is not possible.
He takes his eyes off of Jesus and begins to sink.
He cries out for Jesus to save him.
Jesus grabs his hand and pulls him up.
Wow. Wow. Wow.
Peter is so like us, is he not?
In desperation, we often cry out to the Lord in fear, or dread, or shame. Jesus hears us and we know He does. He tells us to trust Him, not to be frightened. And, for a while, we listen. We lose our fear. We are comforted.
And then we doubt. We find our eyes straying from the Lord. We end up in sin. We become desperate. We cry out. He stretches out His hand and pulls us back up.
And the cycle repeats itself again . . . and again . . . and again.
FAITH ACTION: Try to identify one or two things that cause you to take your eyes off of the Lord. Ask God to give you the strength to rise above those failings, not just once, but for good.